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Ayodhya Architect: Story behind the masterplan
The sculptor of the Lord Ram idol: In the newly-inaugurated temple, a 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla, chiselled by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Krishna Shile, sits in the ‘garbha griha’ (Sanctum sanctorum).
Chandrakant Sompura is the chief Ahmedabad-based architect of the Ayodhya Ram Mandir. He is the 15th generation in his family of renowned temple architects, who designed over 200 religious structures around the country including the Akshardham temple (Gujarat), the Swaminarayan (Mumbai) and the Birla (Kolkata) Mandir. He has designed around 130 temples, including the Ambaji temple in Palanpur and the Swami Narayan temple in Gandhinagar. About 32 years ago, when asked to come up with a design for the temple, disguised as a devotee due to heavy security, he had measured the area with footsteps (proof of his passion, intelligence and skill) to make the masterplan. His name will be inscribed in Indian history as the chief architect of the iconic temple, which will attract millions of devotees, students of architecture as well as tourists from across the globe. The sculptor of the Lord Ram idol: In the newly-inaugurated temple, a 51-inch idol of Ram Lalla, chiselled by Mysuru-based sculptor Arun Yogiraj from Krishna Shile, sits in the ‘garbha griha’ (Sanctum sanctorum).